UNIFIL head chairs Tripartite meeting with LAF and IDF officials

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col today chaired a Tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the UN position in Ras Al Naqoura. Discussions focused on the situation along the Blue Line, air and ground violations as well as other issues within the scope of UNIFIL’s mandate under UN Security Council resolution 1701. Major General Del Col said: “I appreciate the positive engagement of the parties with UNIFIL that has enabled continued stability along the Blue Line in a volatile regional context.” And he added: “I call on the parties to further utilise UNIFIL’s tripartite and liaison mechanisms to address issues and concerns in order to minimize the scope for any misunderstandings that could cause tensions or incidents.” He reiterated his call to the parties to provide UNIFIL with sufficient prior notification of all planned activities along the Blue Line. Tripartite meetings have been held regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL since the end of the 2006 war in south Lebanon as an essential conflict management and confidence building mechanism.